Since about 88 percent of all infections are transmitted by hands, a review of the WHO's Five Moments for Hand Hygiene is imperative. Most importantly, in the home, in schools and most importantly - in hospitals and doctor's offices.

I extend my arm and he drops a pile of sticks, sand, broken shells, seaweed, and what looks like straw into my open hand. Admiring the offering, I smile and close my hand gently around his gift and give him a wink as I walk towards the boardwalk.

So many popular stories about evolution strive to pinpoint a single evolutionary force responsible for a particular trait. I am expecting that we will see a new tide of stories that are just so, given that news of a new biomechanical study of human hands and fists has hit the presses.